The interwar Fleet Problems were large naval exercises of the United States Navy. Intended to both train the fleet and test new operational ideas and concepts.
Fleet Problem XII was a pretty standard one, in this regard, but the participation of USS Arkansas warranted a follow-up to the previous video on that battleship.
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Interesting they went with Force Black for the Opposition Force, since that was traditionally the color assigned to Germany. Makes me wonder if someone was not being prescient that Germany, if it rearmed its navy, would be slow to develop naval airpower but quick to get back into making battleships. I doubt it, but it is a fun coincidence.
2:30 Also interesting is the idea that cruisers could meaningfully outperform the USS Arkansas using spotting aircraft. The maximum range of Arkansas' mainguns was around 24,000 yards, which was technically less than the theoretical range of newer 8'' cruiser guns, but the idea that the cruisers would be capable of defeating an old battleship by overwhelming it with sheer numbers of hits to render it hors-des-combats was "advanced" thinking for the time. The British were already exploring the potential of cruisers using large numbers of 152.4mm guns to batter heavily-armored cruisers, but extending the concept to 203mm guns battering battleships wasn't quite a thing in most circles yet.
Also shows the US Navy was already trying to push the range of engagement much further than was the norm. The Great War showed that roughly 20,000 yards/meters was pushing the limits of accurate fire, but darned if Uncle Sam was not going to try hard to make the dream of ships hitting targets at 45,000 yards a reality!
Love the shade thrown at the American sub sinking Arkansas during an exercise, likely using up all the luck intended for the early years of the US submarine warfare campaign in WW2. Not to mention the parallels between this Fleet Problem and the Battle of Samar in the future.
I'm really liking all the content on Arkansas. A ship that deserves to have her story told! Thank you!
1:06 this is such a fucking cool picture and it's truly a shame that it was a technological dead end.